It is known to provide a fuel tank for a fuel system in a vehicle to hold fuel to be used by an engine of the vehicle. It is also known to provide an electric fuel pump in the fuel tank to pump fuel from the fuel tank to the engine. In-tank electric fuel pumps typically require a filter to remove particulate contaminants from the fuel prior to entering the fuel pump. This pre-filtration is commonly accomplished by connecting a fuel strainer assembly to an inlet of the fuel pump. However, this connection interface must secure the mating parts for a life of the fuel pump.
One known connection is a press fit connection between an outside diameter of a snout extending from an inlet body of the fuel pump and an inside diameter of a connector body integral to the fuel strainer assembly. Another known connection secures the fuel strainer assembly to the inlet of the fuel pump using a post extending from the inlet body and a pal nut fastener to retain the fuel strainer assembly. However, both of these connections require a feature to be added to the inlet body (i.e., a snout or a post) of the fuel pump. As a result, these features add unnecessary complexity to the inlet body of the fuel pump and are not production feasible for a manufacturing process (i.e. compression molding).
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a new fuel strainer assembly for a fuel tank in a vehicle that has a connection to attach a fuel strainer to an inlet of the fuel pump. It is also desirable to provide a fuel strainer assembly for a fuel tank in a vehicle that eliminates additional parts for connection of the fuel strainer to the inlet of the fuel pump. It is further desirable to provide a fuel strainer assembly for a fuel tank in a vehicle that provides orientation and anti-rotation of the fuel strainer relative to the inlet of the fuel pump.